Chinese researchers discover why so many writers are heavy smokers
Chinese scientists show heavy smoking boosts the imagination, though it harms rest of brain
A Chinese study on how tobacco use damages the brain has also stumbled upon evidence heavy smoking can boost concentration and imagination - something scientists say could shed light on why many writers are attracted to lighting up.
But the researchers won't be pursuing this finding, they say, as it is "politically incorrect".
The study, conducted by scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found heavy smoking damages the brain overall, reducing the ability to process information and respond to it.
But two areas - one in charge of visual data processing and the other determining concentration levels - saw smoother communication among neurons after tobacco was used, according to Lei Hao, the lead scientist for the study, which was published in the academic journal Addiction Biology last month.
"Information is passed around in these areas with higher efficiency than in non-smokers," said Lei, a specialist in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Lei's team compared the brain activity and associated changes in blood flow of 31 heavy smokers against 33 non-smokers. The heavy smokers had an average age of 50 and had smoked for 25 years, consuming at least two packs a day.